Household products are typically sold in and dispensed from the same container. If the product is granular in form, dispensing the product from the container presents certain difficulties. For example, if the container is nearly full and is tilted slightly to cause some of the product to be dispensed by pouring, excess product may spill out of the container and be wasted.
Similarly, if the container is nearly empty and one tries to dispense the remaining product by tilting and shaking the container, spillage may again result. Another approach to dispense the remaining granular product is to insert a spoon into the container and remove a spoonful of the product from the container. Alternatively, one can dispense the remaining granular product from a nearly empty container into a new container of the same product. This approach is not always convenient if one does not have a new container of the same product available.
One approach to dispensing granular products from a container has been to provide a narrow neck and a small opening at the top of the container, rather than a generally constant cross-section. However, this configuration can interfere with dispensation of the product by using a spoon, as described above.
Another approach is U.S. Pat. No. 2,640,628 issued to Klosky on June 2, 1953, which shows a container having an internal pouring channel formed by vertically oriented eccentric offsets. These offsets provide a channel for pouring fluids in a narrow stream. However, since the offsets are vertical, they do not prevent inadvertent large scale spillage of the contents of the container if it is tipped too far while dispensing.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,982,450 issued to Whitton, Jr. on May 2, 1961, shows a container having an annular internal rim, shaped to provide a weir to direct the flow of liquid out of the container. However, this arrangement does not provide sufficient obstruction to prevent spillage of the product when the container is tipped too far since the underside of the annular rim is arcuate in vertical section. This arrangement also includes wasted material by having the rim continue around the perimeter of the container 360.degree. providing material that serves no beneficial purpose to prevent spillage of the contents during dispensation.